Generally, I was able to relate to the contents of the course. In my opinion, the topics dealt with were appropriate and foundational in nature. For example greetings, telling the time in Spanish, talking about your family and other everyday activities that we were instructed on. Also, the content was meaningful in that it provided me with the necessary guidance as it relates to the delivery of the Spanish lesson. For instance, the lectures on the use and application of the Multiple Intelligence Theory and The Affective filter Theory were very informative and I think that teachers should really make use of the information available in order that learners under their charge can better realize their potentials and develop their respective intelligence (gifts). The introduction of these theories to me were so refreshing, they give you hope that all is not lost for the slow learners. Methodology I agree with the methodology of this course in utilizing the computer. I believe that we are living in a technologically advancing world and as potential teachers we need to be the pacesetters for our students. Presently, I am sure that there are some students who are far ahead of some of their teachers as it relates to information technology and the use of the computer. I feel it is important for teachers to be computer literate for a number of reasons. Some of the reasons are that it will make teaching more enjoyable to the students, students will be given the opportunity to be on par with other students from different countries and teachers can reduce the amount of time they spend marking written assignments and writing on the chalk boards. Tasks The tasks were many; some of them were quite challenging especially the orals and the essays. I was particularly unsure as to the format of the essays. I found it difficult to keep up with of the Spanish course taking into consideration the amount of assignments and the time that had to be invested in Spanish. However, with lots of sacrifices I was able to complete all the tasks on time. My initial Thoughts and Feelings My initial thoughts and feelings of Spanish were mixed, I was looking forward to learning Spanish and still hesitant at the same time as I knew it would have been challenging. What solidified my initial feelings were the insights that I got from the Spanish lecturer during the orientation presentation. I got a glimpse of what the course entailed particularly that most of the assignments would have to be done via the computer and internet. After that I was wondering whether I would have been able to cope with the work and cost for the use of the internet. My feelings and thoughts of the course have changed to some extent. I have truly come to enjoy my journey through the Spanish course even though the work was demanding. Thanks to Ms. V. Wilburg. What I liked/disliked What I liked about the process is the idea of submitting most of the assignments via the internet. This has proven to be very cost effective since i did not have to pay for typing and printing of the assignments. Also, the submission of assignments via the internet provided me with more time because I had up to midnight on the respective due dates to submit these assignments. In my opinion, the lectures on the Affective Filter and Multiple Intelligences Theories were very informative; I think they are important in achieving better results from the learners. Most of all, I liked the fact that discipline was of a high standard in the class which will help us as human beings and potential teachers. My overall impression My overall impression about the course is that I really enjoyed the journey. The lecturer took a holistic approach in that she not only provided us with information, techniques, ideas, guidance and the like for the teaching of Spanish but for all the other subjects (for example, the knowledge gained from the use of puppets and the pop-up book can be applied to any other subject). However, I am a bit concerned and hope that all the efforts on the part of the lecturer and the students do not go to waste since currently I do not see the nursery and primary schools putting much emphasis on the teaching of Spanish. Finally, ‘hats off’ to our lecturer, Ms. Verbena Wilburg who really made the course enjoyable even though it was challenging. I will always remember the statement, “You are responsible for your own learning”. Thanks again.
Recommendations My recommendation is that conjugation of verbs be taught earlier than it was taught in this course. The reason being is that initially I was kind of confused at times when trying to find the meanings of some words. For example, if I wanted to find the meaning of “escribe” in the dictionary, I probably would not find it, but had I known before that “escribe” came from the verb escribir I would have checked for the meaning of the verb “escribir”.
Content
Generally, I was able to relate to the contents of the course. In my opinion, the topics dealt with were appropriate and foundational in nature. For example greetings, telling the time in Spanish, talking about your family and other everyday activities that we were instructed on. Also, the content was meaningful in that it provided me with the necessary guidance as it relates to the delivery of the Spanish lesson. For instance, the lectures on the use and application of the Multiple Intelligence Theory and The Affective filter Theory were very informative and I think that teachers should really make use of the information available in order that learners under their charge can better realize their potentials and develop their respective intelligence (gifts). The introduction of these theories to me were so refreshing, they give you hope that all is not lost for the slow learners.
Methodology
I agree with the methodology of this course in utilizing the computer. I believe that we are living in a technologically advancing world and as potential teachers we need to be the pacesetters for our students. Presently, I am sure that there are some students who are far ahead of some of their teachers as it relates to information technology and the use of the computer. I feel it is important for teachers to be computer literate for a number of reasons. Some of the reasons are that it will make teaching more enjoyable to the students, students will be given the opportunity to be on par with other students from different countries and teachers can reduce the amount of time they spend marking written assignments and writing on the chalk boards.
Tasks
The tasks were many; some of them were quite challenging especially the orals and the essays. I was particularly unsure as to the format of the essays. I found it difficult to keep up with of the Spanish course taking into consideration the amount of assignments and the time that had to be invested in Spanish. However, with lots of sacrifices I was able to complete all the tasks on time.
My initial Thoughts and Feelings
My initial thoughts and feelings of Spanish were mixed, I was looking forward to learning Spanish and still hesitant at the same time as I knew it would have been challenging. What solidified my initial feelings were the insights that I got from the Spanish lecturer during the orientation presentation. I got a glimpse of what the course entailed particularly that most of the assignments would have to be done via the computer and internet. After that I was wondering whether I would have been able to cope with the work and cost for the use of the internet. My feelings and thoughts of the course have changed to some extent. I have truly come to enjoy my journey through the Spanish course even though the work was demanding. Thanks to Ms. V. Wilburg.
What I liked/disliked
What I liked about the process is the idea of submitting most of the assignments via the internet. This has proven to be very cost effective since i did not have to pay for typing and printing of the assignments. Also, the submission of assignments via the internet provided me with more time because I had up to midnight on the respective due dates to submit these assignments. In my opinion, the lectures on the Affective Filter and Multiple Intelligences Theories were very informative; I think they are important in achieving better results from the learners. Most of all, I liked the fact that discipline was of a high standard in the class which will help us as human beings and potential teachers.
My overall impression
My overall impression about the course is that I really enjoyed the journey. The lecturer took a holistic approach in that she not only provided us with information, techniques, ideas, guidance and the like for the teaching of Spanish but for all the other subjects (for example, the knowledge gained from the use of puppets and the pop-up book can be applied to any other subject). However, I am a bit concerned and hope that all the efforts on the part of the lecturer and the students do not go to waste since currently I do not see the nursery and primary schools putting much emphasis on the teaching of Spanish. Finally, ‘hats off’ to our lecturer, Ms. Verbena Wilburg who really made the course enjoyable even though it was challenging. I will always remember the statement, “You are responsible for your own learning”. Thanks again.
Recommendations
My recommendation is that conjugation of verbs be taught earlier than it was taught in this course. The reason being is that initially I was kind of confused at times when trying to find the meanings of some words. For example, if I wanted to find the meaning of “escribe” in the dictionary, I probably would not find it, but had I known before that “escribe” came from the verb escribir I would have checked for the meaning of the verb “escribir”.